Hello all, i built a jig for my router to reduce 3/8" shafts. It works fine at reducing them but leaves a really rough surface. The router bit is new and i tried varying the feed rate but no luck. has anyone else experienced this? The shafts will be fine when i get them smoothed out. it'll just take a lot more work now. thanks, dan.
I make a lot of shafts in my router jig. The hole in the outfeed block needs to be a close fit on the cut shaft. That means you have to adjust the jig so the router cuts the shaft to maybe.001 or .002 larger than the outfeed guide hole. The shaft will be burnished a little and will be held steady for the cutter.
Are You starting from square stock? If so, the stock should be big enough that the corners mash a little in going through the infeed guide hole.
Hope this helps. My shafts don't even need sanding. They are slick and shiny direct from the process.
Thanks jim, i PMed you too, you can ignore that. Dan.
Lee VAlley Tools......Dowelling jig machine
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42331&cat=1,180,42288
http://www.veritastools.com/Products/Page.aspx?p=151
This one ain't near as expensive and gives you a clean 3/8" shaft ( or a little smaller with a little adjustment) for 7 /16" ripped blanks. Gotta taper the ends to the proper size and adjust tiller with sandpaper and drill.
I think I spent 40$ for mine a few years ago and that included an extra blade and the doojy for fittin the blanks in the drill. Turns out you can get that doojy at a home improvement place or hardware store. The whole thing works great.
You might be runnin the arrow along the wrong side of the bit. You know, how a router cuts better when you run it into the piece instead of with the spin of the bit.